ROCKFORD, Ill. - The Rockford University football team has lit up the scoreboard through its first three games and boasts one of the top offenses and quarterback/receiver combinations in all of NCAA Division III football. The Regent offense has scored 147 points and currently ranks in the top 45 in the country in nine categories, including five top 15 rankings. Rockford is third in the country in passing offense (423.0), fifth in total offense (573.0), ninth in first downs (77), tenth in team passing efficiency (186.79), 13th in scoring offense (49.0), 24th in interceptions thrown (1), 37th in completion percentage (64.1%) and passing yards per completion (15.11) and 42nd in third down conversion percentage (47.4%). 

"We are proud of what our offense has been able to accomplish at the start of the season," Coach Zimmerman remarked. "Coach Toliver and the rest of the offensive staff work hard to make sure our guys are prepared during the week and are put in the best possible situations to succeed on Saturday. We will continue to find ways to get the ball to our best players and allow them to make plays. Our attitude has always been to score as many points as possible and we plan to continue that throughout the remainder of the season."

The high-powered RU passing attack is led by the duo of quarterback Jaelen Ray and wide receiver Joey Owens. Ray and Owens have been an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses throughout the entire season. Ray has already broken or tied five single-game school records including: total offense (528), passing yards (472), completions (31), attempts (49) and passing touchdowns (8), while Owens broke the single-game school record for touchdown receptions (4). The two are also currently leading all NCAA Division III football players in an astonishing 13 combined categories and are ranked in the top 16 in another five. Ray leads the nation in touchdown passes (17), passing yards (1,269), passing yards per game (423.0), points responsible for (108), points responsible for per game (36.0) and total offense per game (450.0). Owens leads the country in receiving touchdowns (9), receiving yards (494), receiving yards per game (164.7), scoring (18.7), total points scored (54), total touchdowns (9) and is tied for the national lead in receptions (29).

"We have been excited about this duo for a while, and now with both of them fully healthy, everyone is getting to see what they are capable of," Coach Zimmerman stated. They have both put in a lot of time and energy into getting better through their work on and off the field. Neither of these guys are ever satisfied, and they have both earned everything they have accomplished throughout their careers. We are very excited to see what they have in store for the rest of the year."

Jaelen Ray is currently on pace to shatter every single-season Rockford University passing record and has a chance to break a couple of NACC records as well. Through just three games, Ray has 84 completions on 131 attempts for 1,269 passing yards and 17 passing touchdowns with just 1 interception. He also has 1,350 yards of total offense. The current single-season school records are as follows: completions (175), pass attempts (329), passing yards (2,332), passing touchdowns (21) and total offense (2,388). 

Joey Owens is also on pace to rewrite the Rockford University single-single season record book and has the possibility of breaking multiple NACC records. After three games, Owens has 29 receptions for 494 yards and 9 receiving touchdowns. The current single-season school records within reach are as follows: receptions (63), receiving yards (1,052), receiving touchdowns (10), all-purpose yards (1,497), total touchdowns (17) and points scored (102). 

The RU football team will hit the road for the first time this season on Saturday, September 25 to face defending NACC Champion Aurora University. Kickoff between the Regents and Spartans is set for 1:00 PM.